Valve actuating mechanism



March 21, 1939.. B. WHEELER 2,151,647

VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed April 1 1, 1937 J INVENTOR. BY 7 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 i 2,151,647

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE ACTUATING- MECHANISM Brian Wheeler,Beloit, Wis., assignor to Heisler Locomotive Works, Erie, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Application April 14,1937, Serial No.136,958

7 Claims. (01. 137-139) In actuating valves, particularly throttlevalves, is moved into and out of the locking position in it is desirableto be able to set the valve at various grooves by the swinging of thisbell crank. adjustments. The common way of accomplish- A latch bar 20 ispivotally connected by pin 2| ing this is to operate the valve through alever and with an arm 22 of a bell crank lever, the said to lock thelever by means of a pawl on the lever 1ever having a companion arm 24.The bell crank operated in connection with notches on a lever is pivotedby means of a stud 23 on the opquadrant. This structure does not lenditself to erating lever [3. The lever has a latch handle 25 fineadjustments of the valve and the present which is adapted to be graspedin connection with invention is designed to improve such a mechathehandle 14. The latch bar has a pawl 25 which nism in this respect.Features and details of the engages a stop 21 so as to lock the lever atthe 10 invention will appear from the specification and end of thequadrant and in the closed position of claims. the valve. The latch barhas a slot 28 and a pin A preferred embodiment of the invention is il-28 extends through this slot and is secured in the lustrated in theaccompanyingdrawingasfollows: arm l9. The slot is of just sufficientlength to Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a locomotive permit initialmovement of the bar sufficiently to 15 boiler and a throttle valve andactuating mecharelease the latch 26 prior to engaging the pin 29.

nism mounted thereon. A spring 30 is secured on a pin 30a on the latchFig. 2 a sectional view. of the throttle valve. bar and a bracket 3|extending from the arm Fig. 3 an enlarged view of the operating leverI9. This spring is of just sufficient strength to 20 and the lockingpawl. move the latch bar into locking position and hold 20 Fig. 4 asection on the line 4--4 in Fig. 3. it there. A spring 32 has asupporting base 33,

I marks a. boiler, 2 a steam line leading from this base being thebottom of a housing 34 fixed the boiler, 3 a throttle valve bodyconnected with on the operating rod l3. The free end of the the steamline, and 4 a throttle valve head 0pspring is seated on the arm IS, thearm being crating in h y- These pa t are f rd ary provided with aprojection 35 which extends into 25 construction. A rock arm 5 ismounted on a th nd of the. spring, rock shaft 6. The shaft iS journaledin a bear- To actuate the apparatus the operator grasps ins, Carried bythe bo 3, a d e nds th ou the handle l4 including the latch handle 25 astuffing box 60, on the wall of the boiler. A withdraws the latch bar,overcoming the spring 30 link 1 connects the rock arm 5 with the head 4.in this action, and witha further movement of the 30 t can readily beSeen that as the Shaft 5 1S handle 25 and consequently the bell cranklever rocked the head throu t e linkage ay h continues the movement ofthe latch bar after p n d and its engagement with the pin 29, and thisfinal A rock arm arranged on the outer end of the movement operating therock arm ll-l 9 lifts the Shaft A hhk 9 cohhects the rock arm 8 wedgepawl [6 out of the groove thus freeing the 35 Wlth an arm T arm In fixed0h Shaft operating lever from the quadrant. The operat- The Shah? H1S3ohrha1ed m quadrant ing 1ever can then be moved to exactly the de-The quadrant 15 mounted on the sme of the sired adjustment for thevalve. Upon the release hoher- An operating lever is fixed oh the of thehandle the wedge pawl is returned to the 4.0 shaft II and arranged 1nposition to be actuated groove and through the friction incident to thefor operating the throttle handle being wedging engagement securelylocks the operatprovided for its convenient operation. These mg leverand holds the Valve in the adjusted parts far as descnbeq may he ofusual position. The end of the stop shoulder 2! and the struchoh excepth 'h of h qhadraht' end of the latch 26 have cam surfaces so that as 45The quadrant 1s h f penphera'l the operating lever is returned to closedposition groove, the walls of which ar lnfillned towardthe latch barautomatically retracts so that the each Other m the h h the j of pawl 26clears the stop and then snaps into the groove thus forming opposingwedging surlocking position faces on the side walls. A pawl l6 havingcorre- What I claim as new is: sponding sidewalls operates in thegroove. This 1' In a valve actuating mechanism, the pawl 15 car-med by hrock arm plvoted h bination of a pivoted operating lever; a fixed studl8. The stud is mounted on the operating quadrant; setting latch, saidquadrant and lever I3. An arm I9 extends from the arm ll, 1 t havingwedging frictjonally engaging urthese arms firming a bell Crank- The p15 faces of tongue and groove formation; and a ,55

locking latch positively locking the operating lever in closed position.

2. In a valve actuating mechanism, the combination of a pivotedoperating lever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant andlatch having wedging frictionally engaging surfaces of tongue and grooveformation; a locking latch positively locking the operating lever inclosed position; and means for releasing said latches in sequence.

3. In a valve actuating mechanism the combination of a pivoted operatinglever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant and latch havingwedging frictionally engaging surfaces of tongue and groove formation; abell crank lever mounted on the operating lever carrying the settinglatch; and means operating the bell crank lever.

4. In a valve actuating mechanism the combination of a pivoted operatinglever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant and latch havingwedging frictionally engaging sur-' faces of tongue and grooveformation; a bell crank lever mounted on the operating lever carryingthe setting latch; a locking latch positively locking the operatinglever in closed position; and means actuating the bell crank lever andthe locking latch.

5. In a valve actuating mechanism, the combination of a pivotedoperating lever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant andlatch having wedging frictionally engaging surfaces of tongue and grooveformation; a bell crank lever pivoted on the operating lever carryingthe setting latch; a locking pawl positively locking the operating leverin closed position; a latch barcarrying the locking pawl, said latch barhaving a lost motion connection with the bell crank lever; and meansactuating the latch bar.

6. In a valve actuating mechanism, the combination of a pivotedoperating lever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant andlatch having wedging frictionally engaging surfaces of tongue and grooveformation; a bell crank lever pivoted on the operating lever carryingthe setting latch; a locking pawl positively locking the operating leverin closed position; a latch bar carrying the locking pawl, said latchbar having a lost motion connection with the bell crank lever; meansactuating the latch bar comprising a rocking lever operable with theoperating lever; and springs returning the latch bar and bell cranklever, and holding the latches in setting and locking positions.

7. In a valve actuating mechanism, the combination of a pivotedoperating lever; a fixed quadrant; a setting latch, said quadrant andlatch having wedging frictionally engaging surfaces of tongue and grooveformation; a locking latch positively locking the operating lever inclosed position; and a valve actuated by the mechanism and seated withthe operating lever locked in closed position.

BRIAN WHEELER.

